A railway linking Chengdu and Kunming, two major cities in southwest China, is now fully operational with the opening of its final section on 26 December.
With a designed speed of 160 km/h, the 915km new line, which runs almost parallel to an existing railway link between Chengdu and Kunming, cuts the travel time from 19 hours to 7.5 hours.
The railway traverses various mountains and rivers, which posed challenges during its construction.
The new Chengdu-Kunming Railway features seven long tunnels -- with each measuring more than 10 km -- and 11 long-span bridges, said Wang Wei, a chief engineer from China Railway Eryuan Engineering Group Co., Ltd, which undertakes the designing work of the railway.
The new line is the second route linking Chengdu and Kunming. The old Chengdu-Kunming Railway was opened in 1970, with a total length of 1,096 km and a designed speed of 80 km/h.